Hit the road for a "One-Tank Trip" around Southern Ontario.
Adventures worth the drive from the syndicated newspaper/web column by Jim Fox

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Sunday, September 24, 2017

Tapping into Oktoberfest fun in Kitchener-Waterloo and area

One-Tank Trip for
Sept. 23/17

(c) By Jim Fox

Kitchener-Waterloo
Oktoberfest is certainly “wunderbar.”

They’re about to
roll out the barrels (of beer) for Canada’s great Bavarian festival from Oct. 6
to 14, the biggest outside of Munich, Germany.

Everyone is willkommen (welcome) and a visitor’s guide to this annual beer
bash (not forgetting the cultural activities, too) should list Ein Prosit as
its anthem.

The rallying call
for this Bavarian drinking song anthem is usually preceded by the unusual but familiar
chant of “zicke zacke, zicke zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi.”

Loosely translated,
it means “down the hatch,” as revellers chug their beer and finish it off with
a round of polkas before roaring into another rousing chorus.

Ein Prosit! (Writer Jim Fox) Photo by Barbara Fox

As well, leading
the revellers in the chicken dance oom-pah song (doing the polka while
imitating chickens) is Onkel Hans, a huge orange-costumed mascot wearing a
Prosit hat.

Among the 700,000
annual celebrants for last year bash was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

He tapped the
keg to open the 48th annual event and was joined by Ontario Premier Kathleen
Wynne, local and regional politicians and event dignitaries including Miss
Oktoberfest.

Bottoms up at K-W Oktoberfest. (Jim Fox photo)

“During this nine-day
celebration, you will have a chance to experience the rich German heritage of
our founders in our increasingly vibrant, energetic city (originally called
Berlin),” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

Festhall party central

Join the fun at 13 German-Canadian
clubs, called festhallen, featuring music, food and culture that are at the
heart of this festival.

Expect to see men
in lederhosen (leather shorts), suspenders and felt hats adorned with pins and
huge feathers while women are smartly dressed in dirndls – dresses with flowing
skirts.

Along with pilsners
to wash down traditional German cuisine, there’s some culture, too, with more
than 40 family and cultural events.

Dancers show their stuff at a festhall. (K-W Oktoberfest photo)

“Children can
experience Cook like Oma as they learn to prepare and bake their own pretzels,”
said Margo Jones, Oktoberfest president.

In the spirit of
Gemutlichkeit (good times), on Oct. 6 at 11 a.m., outside Kitchener City
Hall will be pomp and ceremony, music and dancing, and the enthusiasm of
thousands of revellers eager to kick-off the 2017 fest.

Oktoberfest mascot
Onkel Hans revs up the crowd at the Thanksgiving Day Parade (K-W Oktoberfest photo).

The Oktoberfest
Thanksgiving Day Parade on Oct. 9, starting at 8:30 a.m., will feature 120
floats, bands and costumed characters making their way from Weber and Frederick
streets in Kitchener.

About 150,000
people line a five-kilometre route through the Twin Cities for the parade.

Popular events on
closing day, Oct. 14, are a beer barrel race, food truck feast and a car show.

The origins of Oktoberfest
celebrations began with festivities to celebrate a wedding in Bavaria 207 year
ago of King Ludwig and Therese von Sachsen-Hildenburghausen.

Miss Oktoberfest
contestants are ready to party in their dirndls. (K-W Oktoberfest photo)

In 1969, the
founding fathers of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest recreated this Bavarian
tradition and now about $1.5 million is raised annually to
assist not-for-profit organizations.

Created by Waterloo
Brewing, Waterloo Festbier is crafted in the traditional Bavarian Marzenbier
style with a rich toastiness and dark copper colour “that will knock your
knee-high socks off,” said president Mark Bingeman.

Also available are
the tastes of Hacker-Pschorr and Paulaner, two authentic German brews produced
by Waterloo Brewing. bingemans.com